Much of the literature on stratification
in the digital sphere (i.e., digital divides) has focused on the fundamental
material relations of inequality present in the digital divide, often relying
on Marxist/conflict schools of thought. To broaden the scope, the current
project turns to Max Weber for new perspectives on stratification in the
digital sphere. The project will stimulate scholarly exchange about how social
stratification in the digital age is reproduced not only based on class
dynamics (economic aspects), but also by status/prestige (cultural aspects),
and in group affiliations (political aspects). Access to the economic means of
production can indeed limit digital participation; however, Weber also posits
that the process of stratification expresses itself in two other forms, namely
“status” and “party.” Potential contributors are invited to explore the
importance of status and political influence in a liquid society, such as the
importance of prestige in digital participation (or exclusion), or the
influence of political affiliation upon digital divides. Papers may be
theoretical and/or analytical in nature, and should examine digital divides in
relation to dynamics social class (lifestyle and culture), social status
(prestige and market influence), and/or power (political impact/legitimacy).
Submissions are welcomed from scholars at all stages of their careers, and from
various relevant disciplines (sociology, communications, media studies, etc.).
Possible topics for articles include, but are not limited to:

· The influence of worldview (Weltanschauung)
on digital participation/exclusion.

Submissions should be in the form of
extended abstracts of around 750 words in MS Word, sent as an email attachment
to Massimo Ragnedda (ragnedda@gmail.com) and Glenn Muschert (muschegw@MiamiOH.edu).

The deadline for submissions is 1 April
2014.

Abstracts will be judged on criteria of
relevance and originality of topic.

Notification of initially-approved
abstracts will be announced in mid-April, after which contributors will be
asked to move forward to the peer-review submission phase. Contributions of
7000 words (maxi mum including abstract, footnotes, tables/figures with
captions, references, and appendices, if any) will be due 1 July 2014. All
submissions must adhere to APA (6th edition) formatting to include:

· Any endnotes should be converted to
footnotes.

· Authors must include their profile,
including affiliation and rank, when submitting a manuscript.

· All articles should include an abstract
of 150 words.

· All articles must include a
bibliography at the end that conforms to the most current APA style.

· All spellings must be rendered in
American English. To change British or Commonwealth spellings to their

American equivalents, please see the Merriam-Webster
Unabridged Dictionary.

· Only one submission per author will be
considered at a time.

Contributions will be subject to
double-blind peer review, and to encourage coherence in the special section,
all contributors will be requested to act as a peer reviewer for at least one
other article. After all necessary revisions and editing, the special section is scheduled to publish in 2015.

Also, please feel welcome to post this call for papers
widely and to forward it to interested colleagues and students. We hope to see
some proposals from many of you, and for now, please feel welcome to be in
contact if you have any questions for us.